Redcar Bears...52 Plymouth Devils...40: Speedway report

PLYMOUTH Devils crashed to a 12-point Premier League loss at rivals Redcar Bears on Thursday night.

Bears sealed the maximum home win with a 5-1 in heat 13 and, for style, followed it up with another 5-1 in the penultimate heat 14.

Devils were competitive through heat nine and trailed by six points, 30-24 after it and remained on course at least for a losing bonus point.

But Bears won heat 10 5-1 and pulled away for good.

Devils’ number one Ben Barker maintained his electric early season form and won heat one for the visitors, with guest team-mate Michael Palm Toft fourth in an opening 3-3.

Devils’ Sam Simota won heat two, but again guest team-mate James Sarjeant was fourth and a faller in another 3-3, which made it 6-6 overall.

Bears’ Jan Graversen and Carl Wilkinson respectively convincingly controlled heat three in a home 5-1 to open up an 11-7 gap on the night, with Palm Toft and Newman third and fourth respectively for Devils.

Rasmus Jensen hit straight back for the visitors with a heat win in race four, with Simota third in an away 4-2, which cut the gap to 13-11.

Barker won heat five again supported by a third place from Simota for another Devils 4-2, which tied it all back up at 15-15.

Richard Lawson and Hugh Skidmore respectively controlled heat six for a Bears 5-1 in heat six, which made it 20-16 to the hosts on a topsy-turvy evening in speedway’s Premier League.

Palm Toft was second for Devils in heat seven to salvage a home 4-2, with Bears’ Aaron Summers sealing the heat win with team-mate Rafal Konopka third.

Heat eight was won by Bears’ Skidmore ahead of Devils’ Newman and Simota who at least sealed a 3-3 to keep the overall gap at six points, 27-21.

Skidmore, classily, supported by Lawson dominated heat 10 in a home 5-1 which suddenly extended the overall gap to 10 points, 35-25.

Devils tried to immediately respond with Barker taking a tactical ride in heat 11, which Summers won from Barker and Simota, who overtook Bears guest rider Simon Lambert to seal third spot and an away 5-3, which cut the gap to eight, 38-30 overall.

Palm Toft won heat 12 for Devils, but Sarjeant lost third place to Bears’ Konopka in a 3-3, which left it 41-33 overall.

Heat 13 was won 5-1 by Bears’ Summers and Lawson respectively.

Summers exploited a rare mistake from Barker and the pair had bad tempered words afterwards.

Lawson and Wilkinson respectively then clinched another Bears 5-1 in heat 14 to rub salt in Devils’ wounds.

PLYMOUTH Devils were forced into last-minute changes for their Premier League matches at Redcar Bears on Thursday night and Edinburgh Monarchs on Friday (7.30pm) following a setback for Kalle Katajisto.

The Finn had been expected to be fit for the two matches, but was ruled out on Thursday morning with a broken hand.

Danish rider Michael Palm Toft came in as a late replacement at Redcar and Plymouth have still to confirm a guest for the tough trip to leaders Edinburgh

The Devils will have to be at their best, however, if they are to gain any reward from their long haul to the Scottish capital.

Edinburgh are the unbeaten league leaders and have already chalked up the first part of a double over the Devils with a 52-40 win at the St Boniface Arena last month.

They have taken maximum points from their four home matches and have won three of their four away fixtures. Plymouth continue to use the rider replacement facility to cover the absence of injured heat leader Adam Roynon while Ben Hopwood, from Stoke, is the guest replacement for reserve Roland Benko.